This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Duties

This neuropsychologist position is designated to enhance mental health services for Veterans as a member of the Mental Health Service. The psychologist will work closely with the mental health service to provide outpatient care to veterans with issues in the domains of impaired cognitive functioning, psychiatric illness, and functional living skill deficits. If you are not a current permanent federal employee, apply to CBST-12152080-24-DW Duties include but are not limited to: 1. Develop and implement an integrated program to offer neuropsychological and psychological assessment services targeted specifically to the Veteran population 2. Provide training and supervision of psychology technicians as needed to ensure that the clinic functions efficiently 3. Provide screening; assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of Veterans with impaired cognitive functioning, impaired functional living skills, and psychiatric illness 4. Assess and recommend treatments for subclinical symptoms of dysphoria and anxiety, adjustment difficulties,-and excessive-use or misuse of alcohol or other drugs (for which the Veteran may have a lower than normal tolerance due to their medical conditions and the potential for negative interactions with prescribed medication) 5. Provide psychological prevention services to patients at significant risk for continued cognitive decline and/or psychological problems 6. Provide services to the families of Veterans with dementia when such care is directly related to the overall treatment plan for the Veteran and will allow better care for the Veteran and allow the family to sustain the Veteran in the home environment. 7. Provide screening for cognitive deficits for mental health clinics to address specific functional questions or to determine if a referral for a complete neuropsychological evaluation or dementia assessment is needed 8. Perform capacity / competency assessments when there are questions about a patient's ability to make medical decisions, perform other specific functions, or live independently 9. Provide psychoeducational and supportive interventions, in conjunction with the Veteran, for spouses, family members/caregivers, and others that are involved in the Veteran's care 10. Provide effective interventions with couples or families, when appropriate, to provide support to caregivers of Veterans with dementia or other significant cognitive disturbance. 11. Promoting communication/interactions between medical team members, Veterans, and their families to facilitate the medical treatment process 12. Assist Veterans with cognitive impairment in pursuing vocational and/or academic goals, particularly those Veterans who face difficulty in beginning or returning to college-level-educational pursuits. This will include working with the Veteran's educational institution in order to provide any necessary accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act 13. Manage the acquisition and maintenance of test materials, including keeping the neuropsychology test library current, as well as working with the Office of Information and Technology (OIT) to keep any testing software current and easily accessible. 14. Involved in the Psychology Training Program as a faculty supervisor for psychology interns when assigned. 15. Is involved in the training of medical students, medical and psychiatric residents, nursing students, or other mental health trainees, by teaching occasional lectures and seminars and providing limited supervision for clinical practicum experience. 16. Facilitating and promoting the transformation of the nursing home to reflect home-like and individualized care by engaging in direct staff training in person-centered interactions with residents, incorporating environmental modifications, and implementing processes and programs that promote resident autonomy, growth, and individuality. 19. Promoting the delivery of evidence-based psychosocial and environmental interventions for reducing behavioral and psychological symptoms, such as agitation, aggression, and wandering associated with dementia and other neuropsychiatric and mental health conditions Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm/subject to change based on facility needs Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #:00287F/00288F/00289F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3.g, this part.) English Language Proficiency Requirement. Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j. Education. Have a doctoral degree in psychology from a graduate program in psychology accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS), or the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) at the time the program was completed. The specialty area of the degree must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. For the purpose of meeting this requirement, the term "specialty area" refers to the specific specialty areas recognized by the accrediting body and not to specific job duties that might require special skills. Currently, APA accredits doctoral programs in the specialty areas of clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology, or combinations of two or more of those areas. PCSAS accredits doctoral programs in psychological clinical science. CPA accredits doctoral programs in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, clinical neuropsychology, and school psychology. There are no job assignments in VHA that require the skills of a school psychologist; therefore, an applicant with a degree in the specialty area of school psychology is not eligible for appointment. Strictly for the purpose of determining eligibility for appointment as a psychologist in VHA, there is no distinction between the specialty areas (with the exception of school psychology). OR Have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and, in addition, successfully complete a re-specialization program (including documentation of an approved internship completed as part of the re-specialization program) meeting both of the following conditions: (a) The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program; and, (b) the specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. NOTE: The applicant must provide an official transcript and/or certificate documenting the completion of the re-specialization program, which includes completion of an APA or CPA internship. Psychologists who have successfully completed a re-specialization program as described above and who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met the educational requirements of these qualification standards. OR Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. AND Internships-Have successfully completed a professional psychology internship training program that was accredited by APA or CPA at the time the program was completed and that is consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. OR New VHA psychology internship programs that are in the process of applying for APA accreditation are acceptable in fulfillment of the internship requirement, provided that such programs were sanctioned by the VHA Central Office Program Director for Psychology and the VHA Office of Academic Affiliations at the time that the individual was an intern; OR VHA facilities that offered full-time, one-year pre-doctoral internships prior to PL 96-151 (pre- 1979) are considered to be acceptable in fulfillment of the internship requirement; OR Applicants who completed an internship that was not accredited by APA or CPA at the time the program was completed may be considered eligible for hire only if they are currently board certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology in a specialty area that is consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. (NOTE: Once board certified, the employee is required to maintain board certification.) OR Applicants who have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature may fulfill this internship requirement by having the equivalent of a one-year supervised internship experience in a site specifically acceptable to the candidate's doctoral program. If the internship experience is not noted on the applicant's official transcript, the applicant must provide a statement from the doctoral program verifying that the equivalent of a one-year supervised internship experience was completed in a site acceptable to the doctoral program. Licensure: Candidates must hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to practice psychology at the doctoral level in a State, Territory or Commonwealth of the United States, or the District of Columbia. Grade Determinations: Staff Psychologist, GS-11 (Entry Level) Experience. None beyond the basic requirements. Staff Psychologist, GS-12 (Developmental Level) Experience. At least one year of experience as a professional psychologist equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11). Psychologists who are not licensed must practice under the supervision of a licensed psychologist but with less intense supervision than at the GS-11 grade level In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 1. Knowledge of and ability to apply a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to a variety of patient populations. 2. Ability to design and implement effective treatment strategies. 3. Ability to incorporate new clinical procedures. 4. Ability to conduct research activities, such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties). 5. Ability to perform basic research tasks of scholarship and research execution within the context of an established research team, including research participant relations, research documentation, data acquisition, maintenance, and collaboration. Staff Psychologist, GS-13 (Full Performance, Level) Experience. At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 1. Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations. 2. Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health. 3. Knowledge of clinical research literature. Preferred Experience: Prior experience doing neyropsychoilogical evaluations References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/103 PART II APPENDIX G18 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-11 to GS-13. Physical Requirements: Light lifting, under 15 pounds

Education

Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in VHA as a psychologist on the effective date of this qualification standards are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education (i.e., degree and internship requirements) and licensure/certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. (1) Employees grandfathered under this provision for this revision may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions or beyond the assignment currently held for those being grandfathered to assignments above FPL. (2) Psychologists who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. (3) Psychologists initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure that meet all of the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address GV Sonny Montgomery VAMC 1500 East Woodrow Wilson Drive Jackson, MS 39216 US
• Name: Danielle Warren
• Phone: 479-443-4301 X65188
• Email: [email protected]